Short Summary

Smog on both the East and West Coast of the United States has proved a human health hazard.

Description

Smog on both the East and West Coast of the United States has proved a human health hazard. But on the West Coast the Los Angeles smog is now taking its toll on the profits of citrus fruit farmers.

San Bernardo County, on the outskirts of Los Angeles City, is one of the major citrus fruit growing areas in the world. But the choking smog which is drifting up from the city below is ruining the crop yield, cutting it in half, and with it, bringing losses worth millions of dollars to the growers.

According to a Bio-Chemist from the University of California, Dr. Ray Thompson, smog causes the trees to lose their leaves faster, take in less water, and shed their fruit prematurely.

San Bernadino is a picturesque place -- when the swirling, fume-laden air permits the view to be seen. Recently that view has become increasingly rare. Smog chokes the air hides the backcloth of mountains and settles in the fruit groves.

Experiments, which submit trees to both clean and polluted air have proved that without doubt smog is the crop-ruining culprit.

According to Dr. Thompson, the smog situation in Los Angeles and San Bernadino cannot possibly get worse than it is.